The Finding of Cable
by MaidenMoonshine
Summary: Cable McCrory's life is a mess. She has no clue who she is and is rapidly self-destructing with a series of bad choices. Suddenly, a fill-in professor with the strange name of Bull shows up on her college campus. And for some reason that he cannot explain to himself or others, he is drawn to this rebel. Can he help rescue her from herself?
1. Chapter 1 - Drunk

**Hi! I just started watching "Bull" and am now all caught up with the show. I love it! But I am devastated that Cable is no longer part of the show (traumatically!). So now, I will try to remedy that with writing my own version of events! And how better to start that than to come up with my own version of how she joined TAC?! **

**This is a new show for me to be writing so I don't know if anyone will be reading, but if you are out there, ENJOY! **

**...**

Cable leaned back into the couch which reeked from cigarette smoke and marijuana. She took another swig from her beer. She was already drunk - how much worse could it get? After all, there was no one to care if she was in class tomorrow.

"Live it up, girl!" her friend of two hours shouted over the pounding music.

"Yeah!" Cable shouted back. What was the girl's name? Maybe ... to be honest, she had no clue. It did not matter anyway. She was likely never going to see this girl again after this semester. It was halfway through already. Party animals did not need to know each other to have fun. Cable would probably see these people a few more times at a few more parties, then she would be forgotten forever in this area as she moved on to another college with low rates with teachers who would not immediately hate her. She had been making enemies of teachers for the last two years - just scraping by with grades, having an attitude bigger than Texas, never having assignments completed on time, being fifteen minutes late to every class.

She saw others shooting up. Looking around, she realized that drugs were everywhere.

_When did that start?_

There never used to be drugs at the parties that she had attended. She had been turned off of using them as she teen when a friend of hers died from an overdose. Her mom had made her promise that she would never use drugs - it had been an unnecessary action. She had hated the look of syringes or unmarked bags of pills.

But now? How did she end up here?

Her drunken mind latched on to the thought of her mother. She mouth screwed up angrily.

_What right did she have ... to make me give her ... promises?! She was lying ... to me the whole time!_

Cable grabbed another can of beer, popped it open, and chugged down half of the contents before gasping for breath.

"You know ... what she did?" Cable grumbled to a greasy guy who had plopped down next to her in a drunken stupor. "She ... never told me .. anything! That guy she married ... when I was four - the one I thought was my dad all these years - he ... he wasn't!"

"Agh," the guy next to her groaned.

"And ... AND! ... they never told me! NEVER! I took ... a DNA swab ... weird word..."

"Sure is!" someone commented gleefully, pushing past on their way for a refill.

"Thanks," Cable muttered. She took another fortifying sip and continued her story. "I ... took a swab ... and that's how I learned the truth! He's no father! Well, he has four kids ... not me ... not me. I'm the strange ... unwanted ... one."

The music changed to a new song, one that was louder and angry. It matched Cable's mood perfectly.

"They don't know ... where I am ... anymore. I bet ... they don't ... care."

She stumbled to her feet. She would go pass out in her bedroom. No one would miss her here either.

...

**More chapters coming soon! Please come back soon! **


	2. Chapter 2 - Who is Bull?

**Thanks to DS2010 and Guest for reading and reviewing! I was excited to see that at least a few people will read if I keep writing. I have this whole story planned and am already planning the sequel, so I guess that it is good that others will enjoy it. For me, I think it is one of those stories that I want to write for me - having others along for the ride is just extra icing on my cake! **

**Guest, I totally agree with you! I think that Cable and Bull have a special relationship. The show did not delve too much into that, so this is my chance to "correct" that fault! I'm not sure exactly how far I'll take it, but it will be fun! **

**Enjoy!**

**...**

Two days after the party, Cable had finally dragged herself to her classes. Now she was done for the day - thank goodness - and had stepped out front with her roommate, Sarah, and neighbour, Emma.

"Want a smoke?" Sarah offered.

"Thanks," Cable replied, taking a cigarette. In Connecticut, at nineteen, she was still too young to be buying her own cigarettes. She pulled out a lighter from her purse, allowing the companionship of the other smokers envelop her, making her feel included, even if just for a few months.

"Pay me back sometime," Sarah teased.

"I will," Cable replied, blowing out a cloud of smoke.

Sarah snorted. "Oh, right!"

"He's so confusing!" Emma complained as she leaned against the brick wall of the school.

"Who?" Cable asked, coughing.

"Oh, this 'blah blah blah' professor filling in while my actual professor is out on maternity leave."

"Prof. Angela Duncan had her baby?"

"Yeah, and now she had this old friend of hers filling in. His name is Bull."

"What kind of name is that?!" Cable laughed.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Coming from the only Cable in the universe?"

"Oh, shut up!" Cable laughed, lightly whacking Sarah's shoulder. "Tell us more about this Bull."

"He's teaching one of my psych courses. He gets distracted a lot. I don't know if we've covered anything from the curriculum since Angela left."

"Well, is he at least interesting?" Cable inquired.

"Yeah. He starts trying to teach the class, but then he will either get a call from his office or he will start talking about some case that he is advising and giving us tips on how to read people. He told us that we would all get A's if he would be part of something he called a 'mock trial' instead of writing an essay. We pretended that we were a jury and gave our opinions. It was pretty cool."

"Wish he was my teacher," Cable grumbled. "We never do anything interesting."

"Not that you'd know!" Sarah shot back. "When are you even in class?!"

"Oh, ha ha ha!" Cable snapped back.

"Oh, touchy!"

Emma laughed. "Back to Bull, I'm not sure if you'd really want to be in his class. He can be kind of scary. He knows everything about everyone - and he likes to prove it!"

"How?"

"Oh, when Aiden was late last week, Professor Bull called him out on it. Aiden said that traffic was heavy. Bull went into a _very_ accurate explanation of why Aiden was late - as well as Leanne, twenty minutes later - and from Aiden's reaction we all knew that it was true! And he knows every person who even thinks of touching their phone during class time. Some of the others tried to cheat on a test that Professor Duncan left for us to complete on the information that she had taught. He called them all out on it and made a call to report them in front of the whole class. Like, I'm a 'good' student, but even I am intimidated by him."

"I wouldn't be," Cable boasted.

Emma opened her mouth to respond, but she suddenly snapped her mouth closed. An old man - in Cable's opinion - wearing a suit and black-framed glasses was barreling past, speaking on his cell phone. He rushed past the three girls smoking, then suddenly stopped. He snapped the cell phone closed, turned around, and walked back to them.

"That's bad for your health."

Cable rolled her eyes, refusing to be cowed by this stranger. He frowned at her, fixing her with a stern glare. He snapped his fingers and held out his hand for her cigarette. It was as if he was taking a dangerous object from a toddler. Cable felt patronized. But at the same time, it was effective. For the first time in a long time, Cable immediately obeyed. She did think briefly of pushing the lit end of the cigarette into the middle of his palm - _let him see how much he liked that_ \- but instead she extinguished the cigarette before slowly handing it to him. Emma and Sarah had shoved theirs into a nearby ash tray.

"It's bad for your health," he repeated as he added Cable's smoke to the collection. "Quit while you're ahead."

And then he was striding off, leaving the three girls behind as he yanked out his cell phone once more.

"Who ... was that?" Cable asked, glancing down at her hands in amazement.

_How did he do that? He made me listen!_

"And you said that you wouldn't be intimidated!" Emma chuckled.

"What?"

"That," Emma announced dramatically, "was the one and only temporary professor, Doctor Jason Bull."

**...**

**If you just finished reading this chapter, would you please consider reviewing? I love hearing your voices and opinions. As there may be new people reading, due to this being a new genre, I would like to state that I do remove reviews with bullying/malicious/demeaning content, but I love constructive criticism, sharing of opinions, prompt ideas, and engagement in an ongoing "conversation" about the show and characters! What kind of "Bull" stories are you interested in reading? **

**Have a great weekend and Happy Thanksgiving! May you be blessed! **

**(Oh, note on posting. I will try to update this weekly, probably on Wednesdays. This week, with it being the beginning, I thought that I would work in two chapters!)**


	3. Chapter 3 - ID Issues

**Sorry this is a bit later than announced! I had three papers and a midterm this week so I needed a bit of extra time. :) **

**Thanks for the reviews, Queenofwheels, Gibbs4Eva, DS2010, NCISJunkie79, and Fashionista-girl (sorry for the longer wait!). **

**No longer delay is needed - just please enjoy! **

**...**

A week passed. Cable did not see Dr. Bull at all over that time, although she was not particularly looking for him. By next Friday, she had forgotten that he even existed.

That was, until he showed up again, shaking his head as she was trying to relax with a cigarette.

"Does your mother know what you're doing?" a deep voice asked. She turned lazily, forcing herself to act nonchalantly despite the mention of her mother stirring up feelings of anger and betrayal. She sent the meddling Dr. Bull a narrowed-eyes glare.

"She wouldn't care."

_She would, but no need to tell him that. Not like it's his business anyway._

"So she _doesn't_ know."

"I didn't say that!" Cable protested.

"You said 'wouldn't', not 'doesn't'. Besides, your body language shows that you are uncomfortable with the thought of her knowing - likely because you are underaged."

"Am not!"

"I have seen you smoking multiple times over the last week. Your friends always give you cigarettes - you never return the favour AND they don't expect you to do so. I saw you buy a pack from Daniel Jones - you wouldn't be doing that if you could get buy them legally from a convenience store."

Cable frowned. She did not like where this conversation. Besides, what right had this guy to be watching her smoke? It was an invasion of privacy!

"I'm old enough. Dan was just doing a favour for me."

Dr. Bull looked at her skeptically.

"You wouldn't spend ten seconds around him if he hadn't offered to sell those cigarettes to you."

Cable mentally conceded that he had a point there. Daniel was gross.

"You're too smart for this. Don't get addicted now. There's a reason there's an age limit. You don't need to kill yourself with nicotine before you even graduate."

Cable bristled. She was tired of this interference. She turned to walk away.

"When's your birthday?"

"What?"

"Your birthday."

"August 26th."

"What year?"

"19..." She paused, realizing that he was trying to get her to admit that she was underaged. Unfortunately, calculating birthday years backwards while under intense scrutiny was not simple. She saw his smirk. He had gotten her.

"Listen, I'm trying to give you good advice - since apparently that is what professors, even temporary ones, are paid to do."

Cable rolled her eyes and walked away.

...

The next day, Cable took great glee in openly flaunting her cigarettes. She specifically waited until Dr. Bull walked over to a picnic table and began what she assumed was a video call on his tablet before casually lighting her cigarette and waving at him with a smirk. He smirked back, said something to his screen, then hung up and walked over.

"So you got a fake id?"

"Not a fake."

He held out his hand and once again, like he had some magical spell over her, she begrudgingly retrieved and handed over the questionable item.

"Nice job. I see that you finally figured out your birthday," he said lightly. "Miss Cable McCrory?"

She shifted uncomfortably, extinguishing her cigarette. He kept talking.

"Cable? Really?"

"It's a name!" she growled.

He ignored her, continuing to examine the fake id. "It's a good fake. Still a fake, but good," he noted, looking up at her. Cable obligingly rolled her eyes.

"_I'm_ good."

"I know. I'll be keeping this and I'd recommend that you don't make another. This kind of stuff can land you in a lot trouble."

Cable could not help but feel a little angry at that. She had worked for a long time on perfecting that id, and now Dr. Bull was going to just up and take it. It was not as if she needed it - as he had already noted, she had friends from whom she could "borrow" what she needed. She did not need it half as much as she had while still at home and too young to party with all of her older friends. Of course, she had run into her siblings' - make that _step-_siblings - friends at different points, some of whom had told, but overall she had partied a lot while her parents - _quite the deceivers themselves_ \- had thought she was safe at home, fast asleep in her bed. Boy, had they been mad when they found out what she was doing!

"I'll destroy this later."

She jerked back to the matter at hand.

"But that's mine," she protested, sounding a little too much like she was whining for it to be effective.

"Not anymore." He pocketed the item. "I work with lawyers and legal standards all the time. There are ethics I have to follow. Don't push me to report you. I'll rescue you from the temptations this time, but next time someone might not step in before you get yourself in trouble."

"Why do you even bother with me?" Cable spat out at him. She was frustrated and the anger that was constantly simmering under her surface facade boiled over once again. She was tired of people pretending to "care". She expected some sermon on how it was his duty, his job, his moral responsibility, so she was surprised when he outright laughed.

"I don't know for sure yet," he said frankly, looking her straight in the eye. He seemed to examine her for a moment, then briskly added, "I just have a feeling that you are worth it."

Cable froze. It had been awhile since she had heard something so sincerely ... uplifting. Confident. _Encouraging_. But she could not help the snort of derisive laughter and the cynical "Oh, yeah."

Dr. Bull just shook his head and smiled perceptively. "Just you wait. I'm almost never wrong. You ARE worth something."

Cable abruptly turned on her heel and walked away. She told herself that she was tired of the conversation and annoyed that some meddling old guy was ruining her day, but in all reality, it was because she was trying to blink back the tears that were prickling at the back of her eyes.

...

**Please review! Thanks for reading! **


	4. Chapter 4 - Impending Trouble

**Hi, everyone! I just can't help myself... so I am spoiling you with yet another early chapter. I don't think that I have much of a schedule with this one. So far, it's been twice a week. We'll just have to see. I'll be taking more of a break through November with NaNoWriMo, so updates will be farther apart then. **

**Thanks to A (I would very much recommend the show; thanks for reading, even though you don't watch! I was like that with NCIS - reading before watching, and then writing!), Fan (so very true! And I am glad that you are enjoying!), HappyGuest (I'm wanting to start watching that when I catch up with some of the other shows that I watch; from what I've read in some different fanfics it sounds like a neat show; plus, I really enjoyed their crossover with NCIS:LA), and DS2010 (ha ha! I had fun creating that scene!). You guys are so awesome to support a story in a less-well-know fandom. I appreciate it so much! **

**Now, please enjoy this chapter. Is it just me, or is anyone else sensing impending trouble? ;) **

**...**

A month passed. Cable had stopped smoking ... in front of the school. She found a new location away from the searching eyes of a certain professor. She saw Dr. Bull a few times but made sure to avoid speaking to him, concerned that he would guess that she was ignoring everything he had said and decide to report her to ... someone. But she had other things to worry about as well. Life all on her own without any support - financial or emotional - was a lot trickier than she had ever experienced before in her life.

_If only there was a way to make it all go away._

...

Cable sat at the local internet cafe. She was grungy, hungry, and a little cold. She needed to buy a better coat but she did not have money to do so. She did not have money for anything. She had managed to pay for her current semester but there was nothing left. She had no clue what she was going to do when Christmas break arrived and she had to leave the dorms. She had been looking for a job for months but she could not find one. She was depressed and she was desperate.

Apparently that much was obvious.

She had gone to the internet cafe to work on filling out more online applications.

But as she was working on what she could only imagine was her three hundredth job application over the last four months, she felt a shadow fall over her area.

"Hi?" she said tentatively, looking up at the person beside her. It was a tall man wearing dark glasses, a hat, a long coat, and leather gloves. He was carrying a leather bound notebook.

"Want some work?" he offered in a low voice.

Cable immediately felt that something was wrong. She could tell that this man was bad news. But the glint of gold on his wrist and highly conspicuous brand name labels revealed that he had money - and money was something that she needed.

_It might be time to dance with the devil to pay the piper. _

"Depends on the pay," she said, trying to maintain a calm tone despite the tremors she felt inside.

"Big money."

"What do I need to do?"

"Simple."

He sat down across from her and opened the notebook. There were the details. Cable cautiously looked over the information.

_This is not simple. This has to do with hacking the Connecticut prison system. This is illegal - really illegal! _

"Why are you wanting this?" she asked.

"Look here - that's none of your business!" the man snapped harshly. Some people looked in their direction and he lowered his voice, leaning forward to continue talking in a threatening tone. "Either you take this job now or you tell me 'no' and _neither_ of us will talk about this anywhere, _ever_. You want to give up this job, Cable McCrory?"

_How does he know my name?!_

He smirked, seeming to read her mind.

"I know all about you, Cable. I know that you are failing your semester, I know that you don't have a relationship with your family anymore, I know that you need work but no one will hire you, I know that you are fully capable of pulling off this hack AND I know that you cannot afford to turn down this job with only #37.56 in the bank." He grinned, confident that he had her where he needed her to be.

Cable's shoulders slumped just in the slightest. She did not know who this person was, but he knew her - and he was right. There was no way that she could afford to refuse to help him - no only because she had no money, but also because she was afraid of what he might do if she refused.

"I'll need at least a week. Could take longer. I've looked around, but never really hacked the government systems before."

"You've got nine days. Today is Tuesday. I will meet you here, Thursday next week, 5:30. Have the hack completed, and I will pay you."

"How much?"

"It's all according to how well you do. I don't think that I have to tell you to be careful and cover your tracks."

"No."

"I'll check it over and if I like what I see, I'll pay you $1,000 cash on the spot."

Cable did not even try to negotiate. That would be enough to help her survive for a while, maybe until she found a legitimate, legal job.

"I'll do it."

...

**Uh oh! What do you think will happen? Please leave a note with your guesses. I love hearing from each and every one of you! Seriously! **


	5. Chapter 5 - A Different Perspective

**Hi, everyone! Here is your Wednesday chapter, fresh out of the oven! **

**Thanks to DS2010, Queenofwheels, Fan, and HappyGuest for reviewing. I loved hearing from all of you! Enjoy!**

**...**

"Hello, Jason," Marissa said over the speaker on his laptop. Her smiling face filled the screen.

"Hello, Marissa," he replied crisply. "Please tell me that Benny nailed voir dire today."

"Not much for pleasantries today, are you?" Marissa noted. "How about, 'how are you today, Marissa? I'm sorry that I have not replied to your last ten texts to let you know what to tell our clients when they ask when they will finally get to meet you.'"

Bull sighed impatiently. "Marissa!"

She just raised an eyebrow.

"I'll drive back on Friday afternoon. I should be able to meet with them around 2:00, Saturday? See if that would work."

"And?"

"And what?"

Marissa raised the other eyebrow. He let out a long sigh.

"And how are you today, Marissa?"

"Just fine, thank you. Benny got a dream jury in voir dire, Danny uncovered a whole boatload of leads, and I discovered that our accounts are all in a wonderful spot." She smiled before adding with faked innocent, "We might even being doing better on our own than when you are here!"

Bull feigned hurt before chuckling.

"Well, then, 'Boss', fill me in on what I need to know."

For the next hour they talked business, discussing their current case. A company owner was being sued after he ignored the recall on the brand of the company car, resulting in an accident. TAC was representing the unhappy accident victims. The case was strong and Bull figured that it would be a relatively short. Marissa ran through a few news articles, the two of them discussing if it was worth offering their services to any of them. For the moment, things seemed pretty dull so they held off, hoping for someone to step forward requesting their services once this current case concluded.

As their conversation wound down for the day, Marissa shook her head.

"I still can't believe that you are stuck filling in for your friend while she is on maternity leave! Why couldn't a professor on campus have filled in for her?"

"Because, there are issues. It's a smaller community college and the guy in charge is sexist. He'd prefer to never hire a woman to avoid maternity leave in the future. He would hold any inconvenience to him against her. Plus, she's done a lot of favours for me over the years. I owed her a lot more but she said we'd be even if I took over her class for the second half of the semester. At least we now have a free trial jury and as long as I keep them busy with something including psychology, nobody's complaining. And I'm brushing up on the two thousand ways that young adults lie about what happened to their homework. Maybe I'll be able to try some of them next time you or Benny start hassling me for a report I haven't completed yet."

Marissa's laughter made him smile. His eyes flickered to the card on the corner of his desk. He lifted it and looked at the face and name. He looked at it reflectively.

"What's that?" Marissa asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing," he said. He propped the card against the lamp. "Ever heard of Cable as a name?"

"What type of brand name is that?"

"Not a brand name, a person's name."

"I've never heard it used as a name, but I'd feel sorry for that guy."

Bull smirked. "Not a guy. I found it as a name on a girl's fake id."

"Oh, really? How do you know it was a fake id?"

"Confiscated it."

"Oh, do tell."

"Saw an underage student with cigarettes she had bought. Knew she could not have bought it without. Asked her for it, she handed it over, and she's not getting it back." He picked up the id and held it to the camera.

"A good fake. Definitely a fake, but a good one," Marissa mused. Bull grinned as he put the id back in its previous position.

"That's what I said. I don't think that she appreciated the compliment. She's quite the kid," he noted.

"Oh, so you know her?"

"Run into her a few times. She seems like a good kid who's gotten a little lost and is now determined to keep running in the opposite direction of help."

"You're sounding a little sentimental there, Bull. Reminding you of your own youth by any chance?" Marissa teased.

"Hilarious. But have you ever thought about it, Marissa?"

"What?"

"Having a kid in college? Seriously, a lot of my friends have children in college or university now."

"Do you wish that you did?" Marissa asked.

"Me? Goodness, no! Makes me feel old. No, I'm just starting out in the world of family. Or else I'll never start. Doesn't matter either way."

"Of course not, Marissa said speculatively. "Well, if that's all, then I think that I will go. It looks like it is about to start storming and I would like to be home before the rain starts."

"Good luck," Bull offered. "Have a good night."

"You too."

The call disconnected, leaving Bull alone with his thoughts. He looked back at the id_, _wondering what she was up to. He had heard the teachers with her in their classes talking earlier that day. Cable was not always around, but she her absence had been conspicuous over the last few week.

"She'll be gone by next semester anyway. She hasn't lasted more than that at any of her former schools," one had noted.

"With an attitude like hers, who does she think will hire her after she graduates ..."

"If she graduates!" someone interrupted with the quip.

"Her focus has been horrid over the last month anyway."

"Probably drugs."

Bull had walked away, but he had not forgotten.

_I wonder what she is doing tonight? Hopefully not destroying her life even more. _

...

**Please review if you have a moment. I really appreciate it!**


	6. Chapter 6 - At The Coffee Shop

**Yay! Part three of the One Year Posting Celebration! (If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out the explanation at the begining of my new one-shot, "Mother". So far, this is the third post of today with lots more to come. **

**Thanks for your patience, readers! I was finishing up a joint Halloween story with fiftyshadeswritergal (check it out on her account!) and starting NaNoWriMo so I did not get in my chapter on Wednesday. For this month, I may only be update once a week. I will appreciate your patience between chapters. :) **

**Thanks for the reviews - Fan, DS2010, and Happy Guest. Now, please enjoy! **

**...**

Cable sat at the table in the small cafe. She had been hopping from spot to spot all week while working on the hack. Besides rerouting her internet pathway, she wanted to make it is as difficult as possible for anyone to ever track her down physically as well. She did not need any witnesses to what she was doing.

It was down to nine hours until she needed to have executed the hack. It had been hard work and a lot of missed classes and sleepless nights, but she was now only one keystroke away from payday.

So why could she not just press that one key and complete the job?

Cable wondered that herself as she nervously drummed her fingers lightly across the top of the counter while she waited for her iced coffee bought with some of her last pocket change. After this she would have just enough for the bus fair to the meeting point with the mysterious man who had hired her for the job.

"Just press the key, Cable," she scolded herself, angry at what she perceived as weakness in herself.

But she did not press it, although her finger did hover over the "enter" key once again.

Once she pressed that key she would be a criminal. She knew it. That man knew it - that's why she was doing the dirty work, not him or some other skinny tie guy in a corporate office. She had dabbled in "iffy" hacks before, but this would tip the bar. There would be no undoing, no going back after this. She would be officially an illegal hacker, always with this on her conscience.

_Not that it matters to anyone. I haven't talked to them in nearly two years. They'd never find out anyway. But ... I still want to be someone that they can be proud of ... kinda. But I'm already so wild that they probably wouldn't want me anyway - just like my birth father. I'm just bad girl Cable McCrory. I might as well do this and make it official._

She still hesitated.

The fact that she was hesitating said a lot more about Cable's character than she knew. Despite her thoughts, she still wanted to do the right thing - just doing the right thing can be very hard when one feels alone and forsaken by the world.

Thankfully, there was someone else who understood that feeling - and he was not so very far away.

...

Bull was going for a walk. The wind had started blowing and it was piercingly cold. He noticed a coffee shop and walked up, thinking that he might get a cup of the hot liquid to fortify himself for the return to his temporary apartment. As he neared the shop he looked in the window - and instantly recognized the Cable girl at the counter. He turned away.

_I've got to stop taking an interest in lost causes. She's not doing any to further herself. She's skipping classes, ruining her life. Nothing I say is going to change any of that. Focus on just finishing up this semester and then going back to work. THAT is where I actually make a difference - not here, not with her. _

But he turned despite himself and looked at the young student. Within seconds he raised an eyebrow. Her body language was screaming that she was in trouble and he could not help himself. He went to the door, promising himself that after this time, he would never worry about another college student, ever. It was too much work.

...

Cable tapped her foot nervously against the bar on her chair.

_Just do it! _

"Hey."

She jumped half a foot at the sound of the now familiar voice.

"Doc... Doctor Bull," she gasped, holding her hand to her chest, trying to calm down her pounding heart.

"I startled you?" he asked unnecessarily, taking a seat next to her.

"Yeah," she admitted before hastily adding, "but I'm just fine."

Bull narrowed his eyes and tilted his head back a little, scrutinizing her. She began to squirm within seconds.

"What are you doing?" he asked, motioning to her laptop.

"Studying!" she spit out quickly. "What? You've got a problem with that?"

"Oh, really?" he asked. "Because for someone so 'dedicated' to studying, I've heard that you've missed an awful lot of classes lately." Cable's head dropped a little and he pushed for more information. "What are you doing that's got you so nervous?"

"Doesn't matter," Cable murmured.

"I think it does."

She looked up and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. And who are you? Just some nosy professor! You'll be gone soon, and I'll probably be gone before you. Don't waste your time on me. I'm not worth it."

"Hey!" Bull said sharply. "Never say that again!"

"What?"

"That's you're not worth someone's time. You are worth what value you place on yourself."

"Well, then, I'm still worthless," she argued, closing her laptop so that he would not be able to peek around her and see what she was doing.

Bull frowned at the action. He was certain that she was doing something wrong on that piece of technology and he wanted - really wanted - to convince her not to do it.

"Then what's your story?" he asked.

"My what?"

"Your story."

"I'm no writer."

"Everyone has a story, kid, and so do you. There's a reason that you feel worthless. I'm asking you to tell me why."

Cable had been annoyed by his meddling up until now. NOW she was somewhere between crying and laughing with relief that someone was FINALLY asking to hear her side. He was a stranger, but maybe that would be for the best.

"It's pretty long and not really happy," she warned, half hoping that he would tell her not to bother. But he just flagged down a waitress, asked for a cup of coffee, and turned back to her.

"I have time and I'm not emotional. Go ahead."

Cable took a deep breath. "Well, it all began before I even have any memories. It actually began before I was even born..."

...

**Please remember to review! And keep your eyes open - there are many more new one-shots as well as an update for "Echoes" scheduled for later today. :) Up next? A second one-shot based on an NCIS: Los Angeles episode. Hint - the title will include "small fish"!  
**


	7. Chapter 7 - A Peek At a Story

**Hi! Happy first of the week! **

**Thanks for the reviews to the following: S, DS2010, HappyGuest, Fashionista-girl, and Fan. :D Your words encourage me to write more! **

**Have fun! **

**...**

Cable paused halfway through her first sentence and looked up at Dr. Bull.

"I'm sure you've got other things to do," she mumbled.

"Keep talking," he said with gentle forbearance.

"Well, apparently my mom was pretty popular before I came around. Because she has no clue who's daughter I am."

She paused the story again and looked at Dr. Bull for a reaction - _any _reaction - but all he did was nod for her to continue.

"I grew up thinking that my dad was my dad. Like, that makes sense! He's the person who's been around. He and mom split up at least three different times when I was little, but at least they kept coming back, right? She dated some different people when they were separated, but they both did that. They were going to have a divorce and neither of them cared, but I guess that they decided that they should try to keep it together - Mom says that it was because of me. That should have been a clue. They felt sorry for me. But that was just the guilt, right? You're a psychologist. You'd know."

"Possibly," Bull answered. "But let's focus on your side."

She nervously began tapping her foot against her chair leg.

"I should have figured it out years ago. Everybody always said I was my mother's daughter, but I guess it's because I'm not my father's daughter, not at all. And they never told me."

"So how'd you find out?"

"I took one of those genetic tests. My older sister, Emily - step-sister, I guess, from my dad's first marriage - had taken one years ago but I wanted to try doing it for myself since we were only half-siblings. I knew Dad had done it too, from one company, so I decided to go through that company since I figured that I would be able to then compare his results and mine and find out what came from my mom's side of the family. But when the results came back ..."

She let the words hang in the air as she took another deep gulp from her iced coffee. She felt kind of silly telling her story to Dr. Bull - it wasn't like she was important or anything - but it felt good to have someone listen to her rant, _really_ listen.

"They didn't match your dad's or sister's results," Dr. Bull finished.

"No." Cable blinked back tears that had suddenly started prickling at her eyes at hearing someone else say those words. "They'd didn't match, not at all. And there was no chance of us being related."

She coughed and took another sip of her beverage.

"Any chance you got the wrong results?"

"No. 'Cause there, in the family tree section, were matches to cousins on my mom's side of the family. And then there was some weird names from some other side and most definitely did not match my dad. Or I guess that I should say, my fake dad. I confronted them."

"How'd that go?" Bull asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Not the greatest. I found out right before supper on a day where all four of my brothers and sisters were there visiting. It started with me screaming at my mom and ending with everyone screaming at each other."

"Whew!"

"Yeah. My mom cried and tried to tell me that I had come from a time of her life that was meant to just be 'innocent fun' - meaning she has no clue of any of the names of the guys that she slept with in her drunken state! She argued that her and Dad started dating several months before I was born. The moved in together a month before I was born and they married when I was a toddler. I knew all that - I wasn't born in wedlock and I didn't really care. I have his last name. He was in all the pictures. I just assumed that they wouldn't hide something so big from me all my life! So we had the biggest argument the McCrory family ever saw. Dad tried to tell me that he loved me as much as his own kids, that I _was_ his as much as the others. Aaron, Emily, Joshua, and Leah were all upset too. The girls were trying to hug me and tell me that I would always be their baby sister, Aaron was trying to get everyone to 'just calm down!' and Joshua was shouting right along with me that they should have told me years ago. Then I realized that they had known all along and I got angry at them too. It was a mess."

"Sounds like it."

"That was the last time I saw my siblings. Well, not really siblings. I left two days later - only had to wait long enough to be able to withdraw all my money from my savings account. I refused to talk to my parents, keeping my room locked and getting in and out through the window. I ran out in the middle of the night with a backpack and laptop case and got a bus. I had been planning on going to the local community college in our town, but I registered at a different one. I don't have the greatest relationships with colleges, so I've moved around several times. I've tried to work as much as I could and taken out a loan, but that's not working anymore."

"So you're doing a hacking job for money right now," Dr. Bull said with a significant glance at her laptop.

"What? No..." Cable tried to defend herself but Dr. Bull raised an eyebrow and she slumped a little. "I need to."

"No, you don't."

"I don't know if you gathered this from what I just said, but I have no one to care about what I do. I have not spoken to a single member of my family for the last two years. They probably think that I'm dead."

"And you don't see a problem with that?"

"Look, if I'd been important to them, they would have been honest with me."

"But you still miss them."

Cable blinked back surprised tears. "Yeah." She stiffened and frowned. "But that doesn't mean that I'm going to go talk to them."

"I understand. But just because you haven't been in touch with them doesn't mean that their opinion of you doesn't matter."

Cable prickled a little. _She_ was independent!

"I don't _need_ anyone's approval! I'm my own person and perfectly happy with that."

Dr. Bull just quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Cable, we all want - _need - _someone's approval at some point."

"I don't!" she snapped back combatively.

"Then why are you struggling so much to complete your hack?"

"I'm not struggling! I'm one keystroke away."

"Not the kind of struggle I meant."

"Then what _do_ you mean, Dr. Bull, because honestly I'm tired of people who don't understand my life at all trying to tell me what to do."

"I like your bluntness."

"It's not an act for your benefit."

"I know. That's why I like it."

"Just finish your inspirational talk or drink the coffee and leave me alone."

"Look. You just said that you are one motion away from completing your job. But you didn't do it. You've been waiting for a while and you still haven't done it. And since I believe that you are a talented hacker, but even more than that, a good person, I think that your hesitation might be because you have gotten mixed up in something illegal."

Cable clamped her jaw closed. She was not going to give him any more lecture material.

"You don't want to do it, do you?"

She struggled. She wanted to say "yes" just to drive him crazy, to make him pull away like every other meddling old person who didn't care a bit about how she actually felt. But something was driving her to trust this crazy man who kept showing up when she was dabbling in things that would be better off left untouched. Like smoking under the legal age. Or hacking. Well, not all types of hacking were wrong. But illegal hacking at this level? Yes, it was bad. And he seemed to know the truth about her actions even better than she did.

"It doesn't matter what I want," she said with defeat heavy in her voice. "Never has, never will. I'm independent, but my voice doesn't matter. I don't have a choice. I was hired to do this and I have to finish."

"Why?"

"Because that's how it works! Someone hires you, you do the work, they are happy and decide to pay instead of hurt you."

"Hurt? Are you in danger?"

"I don't know."

He reached out and lightly touched her shoulder, turning her to look at him.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" he asked in a deadly serious tone.

Cable shrugged a little, shrinking into herself as she felt the full force of his scrutinizing gaze. "He knew enough about hacking to know everything about me. He's probably a better hacker than me, just doesn't want any chance of it tying back to him."

"What are you hacking?"

"I'm not telling you! You'd tell the police!"

"Well, grab your stuff because I'm taking you there for you to tell them yourself!"

"No!"

...

**Oh, what will happen next? **

**Please remember to review! I love hearing from each and every one of you! **


	8. Chapter 8 - To The Police We Will Go

**Hi! Time for another chapter. This one is a little short, but it had everything that I wanted in it. The next two chapters will move a little faster as we finish up "The Finding of Cable". :D **

**Thanks for the reviews, everyone! S, DS2010, NCISJunkie79, Fan (it'll get better!), Fashionista-girl, HappyGuest - your comments brighten my days! Thank you! **

**Everyone, please enjoy!**

**...**

"I am NOT going to the police!" Cable protested, ducking away from Dr. Bull's hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, you are."

"No!"

"Yes."

"NO!"

"Yes."

Somehow his quiet but firm "yes" had more power that her shouted "no!" All she had gained was strange looks in their direction. Meanwhile, he had gained her attention and very nearly her compliance.

"Listen, Cable, if you think that there is _any_ chance of you being in danger, you _always_ go to the police, understood? We are going to head there now to report who is blackmailing you into hacking for them."

"What if I don't agree? What if I want to finish my hack?" she challenged.

"Then _I _will be forced to report you."

"WHAT?!"

"Cable, I own a company. Do you know what my company does?"

She groaned with exasperation. "I don't CARE what your stupid company does and I don't want to play your dumb guessing games!"

"Hold on to your attitude before it runs away with you."

She rolled her eyes so hard it was amazing that they did not fall straight out of her head.

He stood up and began re-doing the buttons on his coat.

"My company gives legal advice. That means that even though I'm a psychologist, I know an awful lot about the law. And I also have a responsibility to uphold the law. Right now I believe that includes stopping whatever you are doing - either by helping you tell the police about how someone is trying to manipulate you _or _by going by myself to tell them that there is a young lady at a nearby coffee shop who is hacking into something, likely something to do with the government."

"I never said that I was hacking the justic depar..." She stopped short, realizing too late the trap that he had set.

"Thank you for the confirmation. Now, what choice?"

She pressed her lips tightly together.

_I do NOT want to let him boss me around!_

"Cable McCrory, I gave you a choice and you don't have all day."

"You said that I had all day earlier."

"Well, 'all day' comes with time limits now. Are you going to do the right thing or the wrong thing? That's what it comes down to in the end."

"Easy for you to say."

"Why do you say that?"

"I bet that you know where you'll be spending Christmas - probably _not_ at a homeless shelter."

Dr. Bull sighed and took his seat once again.

"Look, no matter how much they are paying you will not make up for jail time for breaking the law. And if you just let me help you, I'm pretty sure that we can come up with a plan that includes a safe place to stay, food to eat, and continuing your schooling."

...

_What did I just say?_ _Did I just promise to keep helping her? How am I even qualified to make that kind of promise?! _

_But then, I don't have a kid of my own. It probably wouldn't hurt to help someone else's who has fallen off of the tracks. I can only imagine that's what most parents would want. _

He looked at Cable who seemed to be considering his words.

"You ... really mean that?" she asked with guarded hope in her voice. It was easy to tell here was a girl that had been repeatedly disappointed over the last few years.

_No matter how hardhearted I may appear to people at times, I DO enjoy helping others. And I can't let this girl down. She's not the hopeless case I was thinking that she was less than half an hour ago. Just look at her eyes - she wants to be good, to do the right thing._

"I promise."

...

_He promises. He has promised that he will help me find a way to survive. Will it be worth it? _

"We're going now," Dr. Bull said firmly, taking hold of her elbow and pulling her up to her feet. "Bring the laptop."

"Of course. I'm not leaving my baby."

He smiled.

_I can ALMOST trust him. Just ..._

"You won't turn me in as long as I tell them about the person who hired me?"

"Of course not. If you are trying to do the right thing, I will support you."

"You _really_ promise?"

"Yes, I do."

She took a deep breath, shoved her laptop into her bag, and stood.

"Then let's go."

Dr. Bull nodded and placed a guiding hand on her shoulder.

"My car is back in this direction."

...

**Only a couple more chapters left! Then I will have to move on to the sequel! **

**Please remember to review!**


	9. Chapter 9 - Preparing to Plan

**Thanks for all the reviews, everyone - namely, DS2010, S, Fan, HappyGuest, Fashionista-girl, and Dawn248. Sorry for the long wait. It has been a busy week and a half! **

**Enjoy! **

**...**

Cable came out of the police station and climbed into the front seat of Dr. Bull's car, turning to give him a smile as she leaned back, no longer plagued with the guilt that had been eating at her all week.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" he asked.

"No. They were actually very nice," she admitted, referring to the police officers. Dr. Bull had gone in with her, explaining to the police that she had information on an attempted hack on the justice department.

That had gotten their attention!

Cable had worked with the officers on creating a description of the person who had hired her. She showed them how successful she had been with the majority of the hack, all the while giving her word of honour that she would not complete it. One officer who's specialty was computer crimes actually complimented her skills and made her promise that she would only ever use her abilities for good.

It had been an easy promise to make. Dr. Bull had already extracted the same promise from her on their drive across town.

Due to her identifying a photo similar to the description that she gave them, the police felt confident in being able to take down the person who had hired her. Dr. Bull prompted her to report the threatened blackmail, and the police assured her that they would do everything in their power to prevent revenge from being taken in any shape or form.

After forty-five minutes, the police had thanked her for her time. The hack was removed her laptop before it was returned and the officers assured her that the information would be used in strengthening the system to provide more cyber security.

And although she did not have the $1,000 headed in her direction, Cable felt pleased with herself.

_If my mom ever found out, she would be terrified, but she would not be disappointed in my choices. _

It was a good thought.

And for now, she could also appreciate Dr. Bull's hand on her shoulder as he looked her in the eye and said, "Good choice, Cable. How about we go get a coffee to celebrate?"

"But we just got coffee!" she protested, laughing a little for the sheer enjoyment of it.

"Maybe, but I could go for a second cup as we discuss your future and perhaps some ways that could be made to go a bit more smoothly."

Cable examined his face carefully. He was serious. He was not going back on his word now that there was no chance of him being legally responsible for intervening in her downward spiral.

"That sounds great, but you'll have to pay. I don't have any more change with me," she told him.

"Or maybe we could skip the coffee and just go for dinner. I'm actually craving a good cheeseburger right now. How about you? My treat."

"Anything that isn't cafeteria food - yes!" Cable said with more enthusiasm than Dr. Bull had ever seen in her before.

"Then cheeseburgers it is. Now, do you like soda or milkshakes better?"

"I like them both."

"Great. We'll have both."

...

Cable waited until she was already seated and the food had been purchased before starting to question again.

"I did what you wanted me to do. I told those cops everything that I know about that guy and the hack. Now what do you want from me?"

He casually took a bite of his burger and took time to chew and swallow before looking up and asking, "What do you want for yourself?"

Cable shrugged.

"There's a whole lot of choice. I'd like to finish college so that I can get a good job, but I don't think that will work."

"What are you studying?"

"Office management."

"Like it?"

"Not really."

"What would you like to study?"

"Not sure. I just want the experience. College aids in getting better jobs. People are more likely to hire someone with college education rather than someone who didn't get post-secondary schooling."

"So I've heard." He took the time to eat a few French fries. He motioned to her food. "That good?"

"Yes. Thanks."

"I'm glad. So, you're interested in an interdisciplinary degree?"

"I guess, yeah. That summarizes it."

"What kind of classes would you find interesting?"

"Maybe some theater classes. Government and social rights history would be neat."

"So not the basic business classes that you've been doing?"

"No."

"And no psych?" Dr. Bull asked, feigning hurt.

"Not your course!" she said emphatically.

"Why not?"

"I hear that you figure out what everyone is thinking."

"And how is that more intimidating that our conversations?" Dr. Bull asked, genuinely curious about her answer.

"I hear that you tell things about people to the whole class."

"It's easy to tell who has been sleeping with each other. That doesn't mean I eat them alive."

Cable rolled her eyes and gulped down the last of her burger. Dr. Bull gave her one of the three that he had ordered. At her questioning glance, he smiled.

"I can tell things about people, but don't worry - I don't know every little secret that you have."

Cable's forehead wrinkled as she frowned and shook her head seriously. "No, I'm pretty sure that you know that majority at this point. No one else has ever really asked questions that way that you have."

"How do you mean?"

"You are the first person since I ... left back home, to have sat down with me and asked me questions and really cared about the answers. You didn't just walk past the first that you saw me smoking. You did not walk by the second or third time. You just don't walk past - you stop. Why?"

"I guess that's what makes me good at what I do."

Cable smiled as she nibbled on a pickle slice that had slipped out of a burger.

"Then you must be really good."

"Thanks. And on the record, I think that someday you are going to be great at whatever you choose to be."

Cable lowered her eyes demurely at the praise.

"Thanks," she mumbled, colouring a little.

"Now, do you want some help reaching your goals? Because I have a plan that I think might be able to work - if you are interested?"

Cable grinned impishly.

"I might be ... if you get those milkshakes you mentioned earlier!"

...

**I hope that you enjoy! One more chapter left, then I will take a break before the writing the sequel to focus on my new "Mini Ziva" series for NCIS lovers! **


	10. Chapter 10 - Going Home

**Oh my goodness! It has been forever since I updated this. Life and having too many stories on the go at once can do that. I apologize to my readers for the long wait. You have been very patient! **

**This is the final chapter for this short story. At the end of this chapter, I explain my future plans for a sequel. If you have ideas that you would like to see in a sequel, please comment or message me to let me know. I love your suggestions! (Although I cannot guarantee to use them all.) **

**Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter - HappyGuest, S, Fan, Fashionista-girl (twice!), and DS2010. You are all wonderful readers and appreciate the support (it is what helps encourage me to keep writing, even if it does take a month or two!). **

**Enjoy!**

**...**

"Have you got all of your stuff?" Bull asked sarcastically as Cable somehow shoved yet _another_ bag into the already overflowing car.

"Suitcase - check. Purse - check. Two large re-usuable bags - check," Cable muttered to herself. Her eyes were closed and her forehead crinkled as she seemed to check off a mental packing list. "Sleeping bag - check. Box of shoes - check. Extra large bag - check. Laptop case - check." She peeked inside the car and did one final look to assure herself that all her stuff had truly made it into the car. She straightened and turned with a smile. "All ready, Dr. Bull!"

"And you have the address of this friend's house?"

"Yep. I have it on my phone."

"And you returned all the keys for your dorm, mailbox..."

"...Locker, desk, and access card?" Cable interrupted. "Yes, I did. You reminded me three times already. I couldn't forget if I had wanted to!"

Bull frowned a little.

"Just making sure."

She smiled apologetically, realizing after the fact that her tone may have been a little sassier than she had planned. "Thank you anyway."

Bull accepted the attempt at smoothing things over and asked, "Ready to go?"

"That is a definite yes! Let's go, Dr. Bull!"

They got in the car and set off together to New York City. There, they would carry out their deal. Dr. Bull had offered to move her back to New York where she would be closer to home - if she ever decided that she wanted to return. He had helped her apply and get accepted to a New York community college where she would be able to raise her grades and then determine if she wanted to transfer to a bigger school. He had already paid for the coming semester with the condition that she would come work at his office four nights a week and throughout the coming summer. Other conditions were that she was not to smoke, not to drink until she reached the legal age, and study her hardest for her classes. Partying was to be saved for Fridays and Saturdays. As well, she was to write and send her family a letter.

"Why would I do that?" Cable had challenged.

"Because they deserve - if nothing else - to know that you are still alive and safe. If you were my kid, I'd want to at least know that you weren't a homeless prostitute with a drug addiction."

"That's fair," Cable had admitted.

Now, on the way back to New York City, Bull was helping her draft the letter.

"What should I say?"

"'Hi. This is Cable and I am doing fine' might be a good start."

"Will that sound too weird?"

"How would that be weird? And even if it was, at least they know that you're still alive to be weird."

Cable rolled her eyes.

"What? You think I'm wrong?"

"I don't know. It just sounds weird. I never write letters. I always just text or send an email. Can't I just do that?"

"No. A letter was the deal."

"Why is that so important? An email could be a letter."

"You can't hold an email, can you?"

"I guess not."

"Then they are different."

"But wait! She could print it off and then it would be like a letter!"

"Cable!"

"Fine. I'll try."

She grunted and groaned and chewed on her pencil for a solid fifteen minutes, occasionally looking up and muttering something out the window or gazing along the road as if it might give her some inspiration. She finally settled down and wrote. Once she started, she stayed steady at the task for half an hour before giving a sigh of happy completion.

"This is nice," she murmured after reading it over several times and adding or erasing and replacing certain parts. Bull looked over and saw that she signed it, "Love, Cable" with a heart. He did not ask to hear it. It was clear that she had put a part of her heart into writing it and he had trust that would be enough. She folded it and slipped into into an envelope from his briefcase, finding a stamp in the glove box that she carefully affixed. They mailed it at the post office where Bull stopped to pick up his mail. Cable gave him directions to where she was staying over Christmas. Her friend Erin ran out with eager holiday greetings, offers of hot chocolate, and considerable expertise at extricating luggage from an over-packed car. In ten minutes, it was time for Bull to leave. He hesitated.

"I guess I'll be seeing you after Christmas," he said as Erin excused herself back into the house to let them say goodbye.

"I'll be at work on the second of January!" Cable said cheerfully. Her face was beaming with happiness and her eyes were sparkling. She could not have looked more different than the first time that he had met her.

"I think you'll bring something beneficial to our team," he noted, feeling assured of his decision to hire her.

Cable shrugged. "Apparently I'm unpredictable." She chewed her lip for a second before adding, "Hopefully I won't be a disappointment.

"I'm a psychologist. I don't think that you're half as unpredictable as you might think and I am fairly certain that you won't be a disappointment. You're off to a good start, Cable. Keep it up through Christmas and into the New Year."

Cable hesitated for a second, than gave him a giant hug.

So much for her being predictable.

"Thank you for having faith in me and seeing something good. I really hope that it is there," she said softly as she stepped away.

"It is. And I'll see you on the second. School starts on the third, so rest up for it."

"I will! And Merry Christmas, Dr. Bull!"

"Merry Christmas, Cable!"

And as he drove away, Dr. Bull was certain that he had made the right choice to bring Cable into his life and on to his team.

His team. It would be nice to be back working with them. And of course, there was now the surprise that he had hired a hacker college student with a horrible academic record. It was not the Christmas gift that his team would be expecting. He surmised that if he told them right away, his Christmas gift from them would be a giant headache as they questioned his judgment.

Of course, Cable was not going to start work until the second. That was half a month away.

Perhaps gift cards and chocolate would be better Christmas gifts. Cable could be their New Year surprise.

How would he tell them?

_"Everyone, when I was filling in for my friend, teaching at the college, I found this kid named Cable ..."_

_Or maybe she had found me._

However it went, it was going to be good for both of them.

**...**

**I hope that when I complete "In a Different Way" to be able to do the second installment of this story before writing the sequel for IADW. Be on the lookout! And thank you, once again, for reading this and supporting me. I would love to see this fandom grow so slowly, chapter by chapter, I'll try to do my part! Virtual hugs to you all!**


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